Quaker Lobby Celebrates Congressional Passage of the FIRST STEP Act

December 21, 2018 09:56 AM Eastern Standard Time

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) praised this week’s
passage of the FIRST STEP Act (S. 756) by both chambers of Congress.
This bipartisan criminal justice reform bill is expected to be signed
into law by the president by the end of the week.

“Our criminal justice system is not a perpetual warehouse for our fellow
citizens. Thousands currently sitting in federal prison deserve a chance
to be productive members of American society,” said Diane Randall, FCNL
Executive Secretary. “As a faith-based organization, we believe that
consistently excluding some members of our society does not foster
public safety or promote equality.”

The FIRST STEP Act includes important sentencing reform provisions that
will enable thousands of Americans to return to their families and
communities more quickly. Thousands of inmates could be released or see
their sentences reduced once the bill goes into effect.

The bill helps ensures people are prepared to return to society with job
skills designed to help them succeed after leaving prison. It makes
strides toward fixing “good time” credits on top of reauthorizing the
Second Chance Act which expanded state and local projects to provide
reentry services to individuals and their families.

“The FIRST STEP Act is a small but positive step towards addressing mass
incarceration. It brings more fairness to our criminal justice system
through reducing mandatory minimum sentences and will facilitate
successful citizen reentry through grants and anti-recidivism programs,”
said Amelia Kegan, FCNL’s Domestic Policy Legislative Director.
“However, it’s also lacking in many ways. FCNL will continue to make
sure Congress addresses its deficiencies and works toward making our
criminal justice system more restorative.”